Equalization education is poorly taught.

[kelemvor]

After I watched this video and practiced, I developed this habit of equalizing... I find myself doing it in bed or on the couch, anywhere. Sometimes when diving I don’t even think about it, it’s just happening. Learn equalizing from a freediver!

Huh.. Either I've been inadvertently doing it that way the whole time or I misunderstood something in the video. I guess I'll keep doing what I've been doing and maybe start calling it frenzel instead of valsalva. I've never had a problem when equalizing heads-down (or more commonly, horizontal). Honestly I think I might have to go dig up a valsalva video and see what the difference is.

 

[Soggy_Diver]

Another excellent equalization tutorial from a freediver...

 

[aquacat8]

Sorry to hear of you audio problems

You certainly must recognize that the modern dive classes are very abbreviated in length and content

I agree more time should be spent on many aspects of diving , but the restrictive time restraints in the modern basic diving class does no allow to adequate time to cover all aspects of diving.

Some day proper equalization techniques will be discussed and maybe practiced in class

Many years ago there was a board titled "Free Dive List."
Eighteen years ago the Free Dive List organized and sponsored the huge 2000 Free Dive Party which was the last gathering of the worlds "Fathers of Free diving and Spear fishing." It was a very monumental event in the history of spear fishing . The 50 or so fathers came from all points of the globe for this last hurrah; Central and South America, Europe, Australia, the Pacific Islands and North America -three were honored from Orange County California the late Ron Merker, (@ dr bills instructor) Allan (Omar) Wood and my self.

We all had several thing in common; we all began diving in the 1930s and 1940s prior to Cousteau and his bubble machine graced our shores and all those who were active participants from that era all suffered from reduced hearing.
Hearing aids were a common accessory to most attendees, If not a lot of "Hu ? what did you say was hears during the day"

Some will state it was longevity others improper equalizing techniques -- But one thing was evident we all were suffering from partial or almost complete hearing loss.
FYI
Only a hand full of the Fathers have survived the passage of the last eighteen years ~~ One by one they have passed on and are now diving on that big reef in the sky.-- the end of an era

SDM. III

I liked your post because I like the idea of the gathering of the fathers, but not the idea of the hearing loss! However as you pointed out it may be unrelated to diving…

 

[The Chairman]

However as you pointed out it may be unrelated to diving…

Multiple CESAs each and every day is the most likely culprit amongst instructors. I hate them.

 

[aquacat8]

Multiple CESAs each and every day is the most likely culprit amongst instructors. I hate them.

I thought they were now being done horizontally in training: in my PADI OW that was what she did, they only described doing it vertically, maybe other agencies still make Instuctors do it vertically?

 

[The Chairman]

I thought they were now being done horizontally in training: in my PADI OW that was what she did, they only described doing it vertically, maybe other agencies still make Instuctors do it vertically?

Then she broke standards. The RSTC, of which PADI is a part, requires vertical CESAs in OW. This is not healthy for instructors and sets a horrible, horrible example for students. We need to delete this and keep it horizontal in the pool only. NASE is trying to get into the RSTC which means they might very well start requiring it, and that might mean my retirement from teaching OW.

 

[aquacat8]

Then she broke standards. The RSTC, of which PADI is a part, requires vertical CESAs in OW. This is not healthy for instructors and sets a horrible, horrible example for students. We need to delete this and keep it horizontal in the pool only. NASE is trying to get into the RSTC which means they might very well start requiring it, and that might mean my retirement from teaching OW.

Actually it was a he, I typoed, but if I remember correctly he told us that it used to be taught vertically but now they were teaching it horizontally for safety, this was in 2001 I think. Hmmm.... maybe my dive shop had quietly developed it’s own safer practice.

 

[aquacat8]

@The Chairman what are your concerns with the CESA for an instructor... is it DCS or getting dragged up by a student or an ears thing? Is it the repetition? Just curious as you mentioned thinking it contributed to deafness.

 

[aquacat8]

For students I do think it gives the idea that blow and go is no big deal.

 

[The Chairman]

@The Chairman what are your concerns with the CESA for an instructor... is it DCS or getting dragged up by a student or an ears thing? Is it the repetition? Just curious as you mentioned thinking it contributed to deafness.

In my time here on ScubaBoard, I've had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of instructors and sharing insights with all of them. I just can't get my head around the dozens of instructors who 'retire' due to CESAs and just how many hire a stand-in to perform CESAs for them so they can continue to teach. It's my non-medical opinion that several issues are caused by OW Vertical CESAs.

• Repetitive Stress (subclinical barotrauma)
  • Eustachion Tubes
  • Inner ear
  • Tympanum (Ear Drum)
  • The entire aural mechanism
• Icreased incidence of DCS
  • Significantly higher in Scuba Instructors
  • Increased AGE (Arterial Gas Embolism) due to Bubble Pumping
    • Instructors & Students
  • Increased vertigo (ear bends)

It's my non-legal opinion that a smart lawyer should be to turn this into a class action suit against the agencies and the RSTC. I don't see an upside to it. I would rather spend the time to ensure better gas planning & monitoring as well as enhanced buddy skills.